MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A brutal start cost the University of Toledo dearly in a 91-81 loss at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers made their first five shots and didn’t start cooling down until they were 10 of 11 from the field and 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
West Virginia’s largest lead was 18 points (25-7), which came in the aftermath of a 13-0 run during which the Rockets had four turnovers.
Toledo turned the ball over seven times in the first 13 minutes and only three more the rest of the game.
A 45-33 halftime lead was cut to two on four occasions, but West Virginia never allowed UT to tie it.
The Rockets shot 46.4 percent for the game and made five of their seven 3s in the second half. Ra’Heim Moss, who came off the bench because of a shoulder injury, scored a game-high 21 points, though a second-half technical was costly.
West Virginia’s RaeQuan Battle scored a game-high 29 points, with 22 coming in the first half. He finished 9 of 15 from the floor. The multi-time transfer became eligible after last week’s court ruling gave multi-time transfers immediate eligibility. In two games, he’s scored 29 points twice.
The Mountaineers shot better than 50 percent from the field on the strength of 15-of-27 shooting in the second half.
STAT TO KNOW
Moss was the only Toledo player to finish with a positive plus-minus rating. In 26 minutes, he was plus-six.
QUOTABLE
“Basketball is not like football. You don’t have to win every Saturday. It’s such a long season and there are so many games. Our fan base would not agree with this, but sometimes there are things more important than winning a game. And the media wouldn’t agree with that either. Sometimes it’s important to get your edge back, and getting your confidence back, and getting your togetherness back for the long haul. And tonight, we certainly got that.” — Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk
UP NEXT
The Rockets have an extended holiday break before opening the Mid-American Conference schedule at Ohio (6-5) on Jan. 2. Toledo has won four consecutive games over the Bobcats and nine of the last 10.
First Published December 23, 2023, 8:23 p.m.
